@Akip I got this message the other day. It sucks how the app won't work on certified devices next year.
this post was submitted on 20 Sep 2025
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Yes, you must have missed it. And so it begins.
Google is moving to make Android less open source. I'm not sure more devs following suit is going be good for them or their users. The G doesn't give an F.
What we need is an OS fork that gets maintained. If not that, some other workaround that fools the Google servers. Because you can bet money that nobody made from flesh and blood is going to look at this inside Google.
Maybe devs can band together and form Middle Finger Corp. and designate one willing person as their contact to serve as registered dev for a gazillion apps. Follow the letter of the law, not the misguided spirit of it, in a manner of speaking.
If you are sitting on a mobile OS and you were afraid to fail like Windows, maybe now is the time to give it a go?
GrapheneOS
are you kidding? only available for google phones. are we supposed to give money to google for this situation?
I think they are looking to partner with a phone manufacturer to move graphene platform to other brand of phones.
Specially since it's unlikely that google pixels will keep providing the spec info and openness that GOS need to work.
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They're not "pulling" the app from anywhere, it's just simply not going to work on "certified devices". This is the end of Android as we know. It's been a good run.
Yes you're right. I've worded that wrong in the title!
You can edit it 🙂
Done! for the curious, original title, "Cirrus App dev pulling app from certified android devices in '26/'27" new, "Cirrus app dev informing the app will stop working on certified android devices in '26/'27"
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It is a big thing at least in developer circles. It made the front page of Hacker News multiple times.
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45087396
Thank you for these links they are fantastic! I was aware of the procedural lock in via play integrity services and also the lockdown on side loading so that didn't get past me, but I wasn't aware google also wants to alienate developers now by requiring ID. It seems to me google want to now fully commercialize the platform, transforming it into the ad infested network that web2+3.0 already became. I think their plan, by alienating non commercial devs, is that all apps will run on their ad models and non without them will be left.
I'm going to look into adding this to my app https://git.allpurposem.at/mat/Sudoku Indeed I do not agree with this, so it will become unavailable when the terms go into effect. I will look into making it available for Linux Mobile.
First of all thank you for providing a foss app!
I think it's a big difference if the platform tolerates you or actively wants to stop you from doing it. You got my fullest sympathy.
Thank you so much for the kind words! It's indeed a bad time to be an app delevoper. At least the framework I use is portable-ish, so the work won't be fully lost.
And so it continues... Google trying to shoehorn themselves into a position of authority of the internet. Imagine they get as much sway as the banks now have? Private entities controlling the masses for massive profits. Fuck off Google.
Wording of the message implies it’s possible to have uncertified version of Android… Such a thing possible?
Yes, think cheap android tablets that are so shit google store can barely run on it. Those devices are usually chinese knockoffs and do not ship with google services, google store or any gapps.
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Yes, like GrapheneOS
any version of android that's not vendor or downloaded from the official android website
- like https://lineageos.org/
- https://e.foundation/e-os/
- or the aforementioned GrapheneOS
- ~~calyxos.org (paused)~~
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Yet another possible antitrust lawsuit series. Some day maybe a judge will do something to help the consumers.
Google just came out of the biggest antitrust suit since 1998 completely unscathed so you can expect this sort of anticompetitive measures to continue.
Aaand the reason's called ✨c o r r u p t i o n ✨
Whenever a politician comes from a big company or goes to one after retiring from politics, that's when you know they've been bribed.
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don't count on the system's judicial system to save us. it won't.
Just to clarify:
Will my apps installed from F-droid be unaffected by this?
Even apps installed outside the Play Store will need to have a "verified developer", and this change will affect any devices that use Google Play Services, so it will be a problem even to old devices.
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If you don't have Google Play Services installed, then you're not affected. Of course, how many custom ROMs will live to that day is unknown.
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There won't be Fdroid on Google OS phones period
From what I gather, yes. But will you be allowed to install F-Droid? No.
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Would people be able to circumvent this by downgrading their version of Google Play Services? ..or not updating it in the first place?
I think you could still adb install unverified apps into your phone.
That untill they'll block that path too.
Also I suppose that you'll need to adb every update. So apps that would want to go this way should self check updates instead of relying on an external store.
Do you think obtanium + shizuku could help uptating the apps with less attrition?
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